Prose – its types and structures
What is called prose?
The prose is written speech that is knitted by sentences and paragraphs. It always follows an appropriate grammatical structure along with a natural flow. It can tell a story, narrate any incident or analyze an issue.
There are various types of prose on the basis of writing styles, and the author’s emotion and feelings towards the subject he writes. The author’s writing styles depend on his choice of words, arrangement of sentences to structure his content, and figurative and ornamental language which build meaning and mood in the prose.
Fictional Prose
Fictional prose is a piece of written speech that the author writes out of imagination to take his readers to another world. It can also make the readers live in different times and situations. It includes novels, short stories, and novellas. For example, ‘The Disk‘ by Jorge Luis Borges is fictional prose.
Non-Fictional Prose
Non-fictional prose is a piece of written speech that the author writes to analyze real-life events and persuade the readers to a specific direction. It includes essays, biographies, journals, memoirs, etc.
For example, ‘Science and Religion‘ by Albert Einstein is a non-fictional prose.
Prose Poetry
Prose poetry is a piece of written speech that is a combined element of prose and poetry. It does not follow any kind of rhyme and meter of poetry but uses poetic devices such as metaphors, similes, symbols, and vivid imagery.
Scientific Prose
Scientific prose is a piece of written speech that is associated with scientific and technical issues. It analyzes new findings, and complicated concepts, and provides detailed analysis on a wide range of subjects in a formal way.
Autobiographical Prose
Autobiographical prose is a piece of written speech in which the author describes his own life, emotions, and experiences. It is the personal insights and reflections of the author. It includes autobiographies, diaries, journals, and personal essays.
For example, ‘Debut on Stage’ is taken from ‘My Autobiography’ by Charlie Chaplin is an example of autobiographical prose.
Point of View
Every prose is told from a specific point of view that connects the readers with its story. Different types of points of view are used in different types of prose. Now let’s know how to identify the point of view used in any passage.
First-Person Point of View
When the author or any character in the prose tells about himself or narrates the entire story, it is known as the first-person point of view. For example, we can take ‘The Sundarbans Inheritance’ by Bittu Sahgal.
Second-Person Point of View
When the author tells about the readers and uses the personal pronoun ‘you’, it is known as the second person point of view.
Third-Person Point of View
When the author tells about others without being engaged with the readers in the entire story, it is known as the third-person point of view. For example, we can take ‘Through the Tunnel’ by Doris Lessing.
Omniscient Narrator
When the author knows everything about the story from the beginning, the narrator is known as an omniscient narrator. For example, we can take ‘The Man with the Scar’ by Somerset Maugham.
The approach of the author
Besides the point of view, another important thing that plays an important role in prose is the approach of the author. The author’s standpoint towards an issue or subject is known as approach. The author deals with his story with different approaches. Sometimes his approach can be subjective or sometimes objective.
When the author deals with his personal beliefs and feelings, it is called a subjective approach.
When the author deals with deeds, events, and arguments of someone without getting personal attachment, it is called an objective approach.